The Forsaken Hero
Chapter 574: Tracing the Trail

Chapter 574: Tracing the Trail

"There’s something else you want to ask, right?" Fate asked.

I nodded, wiping away the last of my tears with the back of my hand before meeting her gaze again. "What am I supposed to do?"

She waited expectantly, but her smile felt almost patronizing, compelling me to voice the question she had already gleaned from my thoughts.

"The Church is enslaving people."

Silence hung heavy in the air for a moment, my unspoken plea echoing through the vast space. Finally, Fate shrugged, her expression unreadable. "And?"

"I don’t know what to do."

"And what makes you think I have an answer?"

My gaze snapped up to meet hers. "But you’re Fate."

She chuckled and folded her arms, striking a near-perfect imitation of Jessia’s confident aloofness. "I’m not a goddess anymore, remember? I have no obligation to interfere in the matters of mortal realms. As long as you are alive and can sustain our existence, what else really matters?"

"But they’re hurting people," I whispered.

"If you’d like to concern yourself with their plight, you’re welcome to it."

"But I...I don’t know what to do." My voice hitched with desperation. Wasn’t she supposed to be different than the other gods?

"I’m not sure where you got that impression," Fate said, finally breaking her stoic expression with a small smile. It faded quickly, and she relaxed her pose, voice turning gentle once more. "You’re not helpless anymore, Xiviyah. If you want answers, find them. If you want to take action, do it. Figure it out."

I recoiled, biting my lip hard. "I...I..."

"You have the ability to see and manipulate Fate. Why can’t you?" she said, arching a perfectly sculpted eyebrow. "Besides, you’re an eighth-level mage. Why don’t you have a little confidence and do what every single mortal has done before you? Choose a path and follow it."

I stared blankly at the ground, the detailed patterns of the mosaics blurring together. "Choose a path? But what if...what if it isn’t good."

"Then you suffer the consequences of your own actions. It’s the same as trust." She looked up, her face softening to its normal, tranquil expression. "Ah, Arantius. You’ve returned. We’ve just finished up here."

My lower lip trembled as I stepped back, tail twisting around my ankle. "Wait, please, I..."

One look from Fate had me staring at the ground again. She was as stern as any of the head maids in High Valley, and right now, I felt a lot like when I had been the maid earning their ire.

"Run along, Xiviyah. You have a lot to think about," she said.

I ducked my head and fled, conscious of their eyes chasing me all the way out of the cathedral. The next thing I knew, I was wandering into the Heat of Haven. The quiet bubbling of the fountain drew me over, and I took a deep breath before sitting down in front of my statue.

It was a perfect image of me, yet I failed to recognize it. This demonkin looked so calm and serene. When had I ever felt like that before? The only time I’d even gotten close was in Heartland, but that seemed so far away and distant.

"Why, Fate?" I whispered, smoothing an errant lock of hair behind my ear. "Why won’t you help me?"

She knew how lost and alone I felt, and I didn’t believe she wanted to hurt me. So why was she being so cold? I needed someone to hold my hand, to protect me, not push me away! Otherwise, I would be...

Be what?

Hurt? Alone? Afraid? My whole life, I’d been either afraid or not afraid.

"It’s not about fear," I whispered, closing my eyes. That was what she was trying to tell me the whole time, right? That meant it wasn’t about being not afraid either. It was about trust and faith, which were somehow different.

Holding someone’s hand made me not afraid. That meant that if I wanted to learn how to trust and have faith, I couldn’t do that. I had to do something different.

I let out a bitter sigh and rubbed my horn. Was this Fate’s way of getting me to stand on my own two feet? Had she grown so tired of trying to persuade me to fly that she finally pushed me from the nest?

I didn’t want to fall, so the only thing I could do was fly. I was done waiting for someone to hold my hand.

Faint stars materialized into a mist that curled around me, resonating with my determination. I took a deep breath and reached out with my soul, only to gasp as my bond with the realm flared up, flooding my soul with power. The stars swirled faster around me, falling into place before I consciously reached for the Oracle of Eternity.

"Watch me, Fate. I can do it," I whispered, no longer trembling. "I won’t be afraid anymore."

I opened my eyes to the sight of my soulspace and took a second to organize the thoughts and fears that had brought me here. My mind jumped from the church to the Circle, but it always returned to Luke. A few flickering stars began to weave a vision of the apostle, but I fought them off, clearing my mind. Even if I could see my fate with him, I wouldn’t. I had to do this the right way, or I would never be able to change.

Finally, I stilled the tempest of thoughts swirling within me and took a deep breath. Ribbons of shimmering light blossomed around me, weaving themselves into the fabric of a vision. It deposited me back in Tormod’s Breach, overlooking the battlefield where the battle had occurred just hours before. A giant magic circle hovered over the city, drawing in turbulent mana in preparation to unleash a devastating Mana Storm.

A spark of recognition flickered through me as I registered the scene. I looked to the ridge where my past self stood, staff outstretched towards the heavens. With a mere thought, I had shifted my perspective there.

While I waited for the Mana Storm to finish, I found my eyes wandering to Luke. I hadn’t noticed then, but he barely spared the massing Mana Storm a second glance. Instead, he wore a gentle smile, looking at me without blinking. He didn’t even seem aware of it and jumped, startled, when Jessia nudged him. And why was she grinning so much?

I felt a blush creep up my neck. Had he noticed something on my face, or was there something more? Just what did he see that had him gazing at me like that?

I shook my head. Dwelling on his actions and my own confusing reactions would only lead me further down a rabbit hole of uncertainty. Instead, I focused on the subtle distortion in Fate I had sensed earlier, quickly homing in on its location and teleporting to its source.

Verity’s spying eyes had felt distinct in real life, but here, within this vision, it was almost tangible. As I appeared beside it, I could just make out a faint, shimmering form taking the shape of a slender woman. Her features remained indistinct, but it was easy to connect her with Verity.

The battle unfolded exactly as I remembered. The Mana Storm crashed down upon the fortress, followed by Luke’s decisive victory over the eighth-level mage. Less than a minute later, another disturbance rippled through Fate, and I glanced back to find the girl’s form fading. It left behind a small tear in the fabric of Fate, a faint trail that beckoned me forward. It was as if she had opened a window into another realm, and now, before it closed, I could slip through.

The scene shifted abruptly as I latched onto her trail, the world dissolving into a kaleidoscope of colors and shapes. When it finally stabilized, I found myself standing in a familiar bedroom. Soltair’s bedroom.

The Sun and Fate Heroes lay entwined in his bed, limbs entangled in an intimate embrace. While they both slept, Soltair’s arms encircled Verity possessively, her head nestled against his broad chest. It was evident they were both unclothed.

I suppressed a blush and drifted further away from the bed. It wasn’t my first time catching them like this, but that didn’t make it any more comfortable. I had to keep watching, though. The discovery that I could trace her back to her timeline was important, but I had to know how Soltair would react to whatever she learned.

Verity stirred first, her eyes fluttering open. She snuggled closer to Soltair with a look of contentment before suddenly stiffening. Despite myself, I smiled faintly, knowing exactly what must be racing through her mind. There was always that disorienting moment after a vision when you were still unsure whether it had been real or simply a dream.

Soltair, his senses honed by years of adventuring and countless battles, sensed the shift in her demeanor and woke with a start.

"What is it?" he asked, sitting up sharply.

"I had a vision," she mumbled, trembling slightly in his arms. He helped her into a sitting position, his arm remaining protectively around her shoulders.

"Another one? You’ve been having a lot of those recently."

She nodded, biting her lip as her head fell against his shoulder. "It was awful. There was a war, and I... I saw the demons and... her."

"Her? You found R’lissea?" he asked, face brightening. "Or...Xiviyah."

"Both of them. Just like last time, they were with the demons."

Verity spent the next few minutes recounting the events of the battle in vivid detail. When she finished, she suddenly shivered.

"There was this moment where I felt like she noticed me. But she didn’t do anything this time, so maybe it was just my imagination."

"She must have been distracted by the battle," Soltair said.

Verity nodded. "I still feel like she’s watching me, though."

"It’ll pass, just like it always does. But, has she really sided with the demons?"

His sigh was far from relief, causing me to look sharply at the Sun hero. His countenance drooped, and his shoulder sagged. Verity wrapped her arms around his neck, and the two held each other for some time.

"I think they’re just... lost," she answered in a small voice. "After all, how could anyone side with the demons when this world is so beautiful and pure? The people here deserve protection, not suffering."

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